Israeli ship comes under attack by suspected Iranian drone in Indian Ocean
It comes one day after 13 Israeli hostages were released by Hamas following a ceasefire with Israel.
Gaza: Convoy carrying released Israeli hostages crosses into Egypt
A container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.
The attack Friday on the CMA CGM Symi comes as global shipping increasingly finds itself targeted in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
A defense official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the Malta-flagged vessel was suspected to have been targeted by a triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying Shahed-136 drone while in international waters. The drone exploded, causing damage to the ship but not injuring any of its crew.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” the official said. The official declined to explain why the U.S. military believed Iran was behind the attack.
READ MORE: Hamas ‘desperate’ to end war with Israel as terrorists run for their lives in Gaza
Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, reported that an Israeli ship had been targeted in the Indian Ocean.
The channel cited anonymous sources for the report, which Iranian media later cited.
The ship had its Automatic Identification System tracker switched off since Tuesday when it left Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, according to data from MarineTraffic.com.
Ships are supposed to keep their AIS active for safety reasons, but crews will turn them off if it appears they might be targeted.
This has intensified since the start of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas following a terrorist attack carried out on October 7.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq also have launched attacks on American troops in both Iraq and Syria during the war.
Yesterday, a total of 24 hostages were released from Gaza and transported through the Rafah crossing into Egypt after seven weeks in captivity.
The exchange is the beginning phase of an agreement expected to free upwards of 50 captives of Hamas.
The Israeli military has warned civilians in Gaza that the “war is not over” and will continue.
Private intelligence firm Ambrey, said: “The attack is likely to have been targeted, due to the vessel’s Israeli affiliation through Eastern Pacific Shipping.
“The vessel’s AIS transmissions were off days prior to the event, indicating this alone does not prevent an attack.”
The Symi is owned by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.
Tehran and Israel have been engaged in a yearslong shadow war in the wider Middle East, with some drone attacks targeting Israeli-associated vessels traveling around the region.
